Rockwood's Sarah Moonier Named Semifinalist for Missouri State Teacher of the Year

Rockwood Summit High science teacher Sarah Moonier is one of 16 semifinalists for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Teacher of the Year award.

Moonier was named one of 35 Regional Teachers of the Year statewide in July and earned the Rockwood School District Teacher of the Year award in May.

“Missouri’s teachers continue to demonstrate remarkable dedication, creativity and compassion in their classrooms,” said Dr. Stacey Preis, DESE interim commissioner of education, in a news release. “The semifinalists recognized embody the best of our profession, and we are grateful for the impact they make on students and communities across the state.” 

DESE’s Teacher of the Year program recognizes outstanding teachers who make meaningful contributions to Missouri students and communities. The semifinalists represent a wide range of grades, subjects and regions. Next, a committee of education professionals will review additional materials to determine the finalists. DESE will announce the 2027 finalists at the end of August. 

The Missouri Teacher of the Year will represent the state nationally. The mission of the Missouri Teacher of the Year program is to honor, promote and celebrate excellence in the teaching profession for the more than 70,000 dedicated teachers in the state.

"One of the greatest lessons I've learned through disability advocacy is that all students, in the right condirions and with adults who believe in them, will surpass expectations," Moonier said during a slide presentation at the Regional Teacher of the Year banquet Aug. 10. "This has dramatically changed how I view the students in my classroom. I am always searching for practices where every student sees their value."

Moonier is entering her 24th year of teaching at Rockwood Summit. Her daughters, Ally and Katie, both attended the school: Katie is a junior, and Ally is a 2024 graduate.

Rockwood Summit senior Kylie Phipps took AP Environmental Science with Moonier last year, is a team member on the Envirothon club Moonier sponsors and also plays percussion with Katie in the Silver Falcon Marching Band.

Phipps has always been interested in nature but, at first, she was hesitant to take AP Environmental Science because she doesn't feel as if math and science are her strong suits. 

She is very glad she took Moonier's class.

"I really liked the material of it and how she incorporated it into class," Phipps said. "She took what we needed to learn, made it fun and also put her own twist on it. You could tell she was passionate about it. Because she was so into it, she had stories to go along with it and personal examples that made it really interesting. She’s a very patient person. She knows it’s not an easy class and not always easy concepts to grasp. She is very willing to help."

Senior Skylar Holtgrewe also took AP Environmental Science with Moonier last year.

Like Phipps, Holtgrewe valued the personal experiences and insight Moonier merged into her lessons, along with the hands-on nature of the classwork.

"Practically the whole first semester was an ongoing lab where we made an ecosystem and ran tests on it. By seeing the things we learned in lessons in real life, I was able to grasp the concepts easier," Holtgrewe said. "Mrs. Moonier is an outstanding example of a selfless person, and she really deserves the praise she is getting. She works hard in and outside the classroom to make everyone feel welcome at our school."

Phipps had the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with Moonier last year during a few of the teacher's planning periods. Phipps would like to be a teacher someday, and her conversations with Moonier were invaluable.

"We talked through all the different possibilities for me, and just having that conversation was super helpful," Phipps said. "I didn’t know I needed that conversation until we had it. I am very appreciative.

"I'm going to do Enivrothon again this year, and it’ll be a little more difficult because I’m not in Environmental Science getting the material every day, but it will still be fun even if just for the people and to be with Mrs. Moonier in my last year in high school," she added. "Any way I can be in that classroom, I’d love to be.”